I’m curious what your experience with ski school was at that age. Did you do group lessons? The last two years we’ve done a 5 week program (every Sunday same instructor, same kids) but my daughter and her 9yo friend have been in the highest group and placed with a lot of 14yos. She isn’t too keen on doing it again. It seems the other more advanced younger kids do the 15 week comp center program- but I don’t want to make that commitment or lose that much time with her- since I work during the week. I would only get one day with her and she would be exhausted.
If you do daily drop in are there other kids their ability and age? I’m curious about Alta since we have IKON passes so might head over there (last time she was there she was 11mo old and we traded off in the lodge as it was a massive powder day.)
Our situation is quite different than at big mountains. Massanutten is a tiny hill in northern VA but has a very strong ski school. The full day ski school is from 9:30-2:30 for ages 4-12, but few kids do ski school after age 9 or 10. Many parents (or grandparents) don't ski. My daughter is very social, so group lessons worked well. After age 7, I would have my daughter do a 90-min clinic once or twice for adv. beginners/intermediates at the beginning of the season. Just enough to keep her from developing bad habits. Did the same for my friend JF's son who was skiing Mid-Atlantic blacks by age 8 (third season), partially because he played ice hockey since age 4.
There was one season when my daughter had a ski buddy her age and same ability level. That winter I didn't bother with ski school as much because the girls had more fun just skiing together. They were nine. One advantage of a small mountain is that it's perfectly fine for tweens who are intermediates to ski a friend and without a parent. The other mom was a non-skier who stayed in the lodge all day and was very happy her daughter had a ski buddy. They lived an hour from Massanutten. My daughter and I did ski weekends (4 hour drive away). Unfortunately, they moved away after that season.
As for Alta ski school, it's wonderful for kids and adults. JF's daughter was not keen on Massanutten ski school at all. (Her brother loved Mnut ski school.) After the girl's first experience at Alta in 2017, she had to admit to me that Alta ski instructors are wonderful. That family only skis a couple long weekends a season. The boy was Level 7 (of 9) in April 2018 and his younger sister became a solid Level 6. Meant my ski buddy Bill and I had a good time taking them over to Snowbird one day.
Back when my daughter was a tween, we made friends at Alta Lodge with a family who were from DC. Three different kids, three different personalities but all loved Alta ski school and learned a great deal. The brother and sister are both competitive ice hockey players so only ski one week a season during at stay at Alta for spring break. All three kids were Level 7 by age 11. The boy pushed into Level 8 when he was 11 and my daughter was Level 8 when she was 12.
A relatively unusual aspect of the Alta Ski School is that no reservations are required or possible. They always have enough very experienced instructors on hand. That means a parent can make a last minute decision based on how the kid(s) feel and snow conditions. Does pay to arrive towards the beginning of the check-in time to do the registration process. Especially on a powder day when more parents are dropping off kids before going skiing themselves. The age range only goes up to 12, so no worries about having teens in with tweens.
Note that my Alta Ski School experience is during late season, meaning late March or April.
